1. Field of Invention
My invention relates generally to music stands and more particularly to such stands for guitar players that provide a footrest and instrument support structure.
2. Description of Prior Art
The normal playing of many musical instruments, and particularly guitars, requires the continuous use of both hands of the musician. By reason of this the hands of a muscian playing such instruments are not generally available for support and manipulation of written music and responsively many and various music stands have been devised to hold music while such a musician is playing.
Various musical instruments such as the guitar, require special posturing of a musician for proper playing, but unfortunately known music stands generally have not taken this requirement into consideration, at least in the case of guitar players. In the playing of the classic Spanish guitar and some other similar instruments, proper posturing requires the musician to be seated with one knee, generally that of the side of non-principal activity of the musician, to be somewhat raised, usually by supporting the foot of that leg above the general underlying supporting surface. The supported foot should also extend in front of the player's body without any substantial lateral displacement. This posturing is especially desirable, if not necessary, in the case of students and young or inexperienced guitar players. Such posturing generally has been accomplished by the use of a small, appropriately configured foot stool. My instant invention provides a music stand that fills this need by providing an interconnected footrest and also an associated support structure for a guitar when not in use.
Heretofore music stands, footrests and instrument supports have all become known per se in various individual forms and sub-combinations. My invention resides not in any one of these elements individually but rather in the combination of all three elements as particularly adapted for use by guitar players. My invention provides auxiliary structures for use with existing music stands of present day commerce and may be used with most of the various types of both non-folding and collapsibly folding varieties of stands. My footrest is supported by the pedestal of a music stand in a movable fashion that allows adjustable vertical positioning. Its own internal structure allows adjustment of its angle to horizontal. Both features readily distinguish it from traditional foot supports heretofore used by guitar players that provide no necessary association with a music stand nor the flexible height and angle adjustments of my invention.
Various supports for musical instruments have become known and some have heretofore been associated with a music stand. In general this latter type of instrument support has provided a one point type support of a hook-like nature. Such support undoubtedly is dictated in its essence by the nature of music stands, because generally there is no structure in the lower part of the stand to support the base of an instrument so the instrument must be either suspended or partially supported on a surface underlying the stand. This type of support is not convenient for use with a guitar and well may damage the instrument. My invention provides three point support with an upper yoke to hold the neck and paired cooperating body rests carried by my footrest to support the base of the guitar in a two point fashion that tends to do no damage to the instrument and well maintains support against accidental impact or motion of guitar or stand. The guitar rest associated with the footrest also serves a secondary purpose of aiding in maintaining the foot of a user on the footrest should it accidentally move laterally from normal support thereon.
My invention is distinguished from the prior art not by reason of any one of its features individually but rather by reason of the particular combination of all of those features which necessarily perform the functions indicated to provide combinational novelty.